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Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Minor in Brazilian Studies

The Minor in Brazilian Studies is designed to help students acquire advanced training in the Portuguese language and gain knowledge and understanding of Brazilian culture. The goal of this Minor is to provide an opportunity for motivated undergraduates to develop communication skills and cultural understanding to strengthen them in their personal, professional, and academic endeavors, and ultimately to provide  greater opportunities for advanced graduate training and a competitive edge in the job market. It supports a number of initiatives in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and across the University of Kansas, including the undergraduate research initiative, calls for greater interdisciplinary and international collaboration, and the broader goal of increasing linguistic and cultural literacy at KU.   

Students are encouraged to begin the Minor at the end of their sophomore year or the beginning of their junior year. A pre-requisite of the program is two semesters of elementary Portuguese and one semester of intermediate Portuguese, or proof of equivalent preparation. The Minor requires 18 credit hours of minor-specific training, to be determined in consultation with an academic advisor. These 18 credit hours are divided as follows: (1) three of the five foundational courses in Portuguese language and literary/cultural analysis (all taught in Portuguese) and (2) three upper-division courses in Geography, History, and Portuguese specifically approved as electives for the Minor. Additionally, students may petition to substitute the approved electives with selected classes in Economics, History, International Business, Political Science, Spanish, and Theater and Film Studies having at least 1/3 focus on Brazil and for which the students write a term paper on Brazil. Courses taken as electives may be taught in English, Portuguese, or Spanish.

To declare a minor, or if you have a question about classes in the Brazilian Minor and need preliminary consultation, please see see Ms.Britta Ernst (2650B Wescoe), telephone 785.864.0292.

Prerequisites:

• Successful completion of Portuguese 212 Intermediate Brazilian Portuguese I, or equivalent placement.

3 Required Courses from the following:

• PORT 216: Intermediate Brazilian Portuguese II or PORT 220 Intensive Brazilian Portuguese (The latter open only to students abroad).
• PORT 300: Brazilian Culture
• PORT 320: Introduction to Portuguese and Brazilian Literature
• PORT 340: Textual Analysis and Critical Reading
• PORT 490: Intensive Advanced Portuguese (Open only to students abroad)

3 Electives from among the following courses:

• GEOG 597: Geography of Brazil.
• HIST 579: History of Brazil
• PORT 347: Brazilian Studies
• PORT 348: Portuguese Language and Brazilian Culture for Business 
• PORT 365: Studies in Brazilian Film
• PORT 394: Special Readings in Brazilian Studies
• PORT 471: Studies in Brazilian Culture and Civilization
• PORT 475: Studies in Brazilian Literature
• PORT 565: Studies in Brazilian Film

            Depending on their content, the following courses may substitute for the electives by petition

• ECON 582: Economic Growth & Development
• IBUS 303: Business, Culture and Society: Latin America (with at least 1/3 of focus on Brazil and a paper on Brazil)
• HIST 371: Violence and Conflict (with at least 1/3 of focus on Brazil and a paper on Brazil)
• HIST 372: Violence and Conflict (with at least 1/3 of focus on Brazil and a paper on Brazil)
• HIST 580: Economic History of Latin America (with at least 1/3 of focus on Brazil and a paper on Brazil)
• POLS 659: Political Dynamics of Latin America (with at least 1/3 of focus on Brazil and a paper on Brazil)
• SPAN522: Advanced Studies in Spanish Language: Phonetics and Phonology of Spanish and Portuguese in Contrast. (Taught in Spanish)
• TH&F 585: Latin American Film (with at least 1/3 of focus on Brazil and a paper on Brazil)

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